The
International Symposium «Adriatic Sea – A Central European Sea
under Pressure»
The
aim of the Symposium is to, through a comprehensive overview of
different pressures that are threatening to change sensitive
biological balance in the Adriatic Sea, offer possible solutions
for its sustainable protection.
Symposium
is divided into six thematic issues: 1. tourism, 2. maritime
affairs, contingency plans and oil transportation, 3. sources and
measures of reduction of pollution from land based activities, 4.
monitoring of sea water quality and integrated coastal zone
management, 5. mariculture, 6. biological diversity, and
discussion on the Adriatic Action Plan.
The
participants of the Symposium will be mostly representatives of
the institutions in charge of coastal management in Croatia.
1. TOURISM
In
the framework of this theme, a representative of the Ministry of
Tourism will inform on strategic approach the Ministry of Tourism
is undertaking in order to secure sustainable development of
tourism in Croatia. Besides, we will hear about the importance of
sea quality for the development of tourism, the sea quality on
the most visited beaches in the County of Istria, the system of
its monitoring and about software application that has been
developed in order to secure data on sea water quality. Waste
management in hotel industry will be elaborated. In order to
stress the importance of physical planning as a tool of coastal
zone management, the physical planning in Dubrovnik-Neretva
County will be presented.
2.
MARITIME AFFAIRS, CONTINGENCY PLANS AND OIL TRANPORTATION
One
of the most sensitive issues in the future development plans is
the so-called DružbAdria Project – an oil pipeline from Russia
to port Rijeka in the Adriatic and then further on through
Adriatic Sea by tankers. This project has triggered different
attitudes and opinions and will have great impact on the outcomes
of the Symposium. Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and
Communications as a competent authority on the maritime aspect of
the project will present its views and propose measures for the
reduction of risks. JANAF, a state company for management of oil
pipelines, a major stakeholder and initiator of the project will
give the overview of the activities already undertaken and those
that are envisaged for environmental protection and risk
reduction. On top of that, representative of the Slovenian
Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Energy will give
the information about possible cooperation on the protection of
Trieste bay among countries sharing the bay (Italy, Slovenia and
Croatia). Representative of REMPEC will stress the importance of
Sub-regional Contingency Plan development and the importance of
cooperation in that field. Another positive example of such a
regional cooperation will be given by the representative of
HELCOM regarding the joint approach toward the protection of
Baltic Sea. The companies dealing with remediation of sea
pollution will present their experience and propose measures for
risk reduction for accidents on the sea accordingly.
3. SOURCES AND MEASURES OF REDUCTION OF
POLLUTION FROM LAND BASED ACTIVITIES
A
wide scale project managed by Croatian Water Management Company
(Hrvatske vode), which includes construction of wastewater
treatment plants in all major coastal cities without such
facilities, will be discussed. Furthermore, the representative of
Macedonian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical
Planning will stress the importance of integrated inland
management. The problem of salt-water intrusion will be touched
upon and measures of its prevention proposed. One of the gravest
sources of sea pollution are uncontrolled waste landfills which
contain, in most cases, even hazardous waste. Remediation options
and good practices will be elaborated by the representative of
the Hazardous Waste Agency. Benefits of establishing a system of
organized collection and recycling of the municipal waste
components will be elaborated. The overview of land based sources
of pollution will be given, with the illustration from one
Croatian county. The system of wastewater monitoring in the
industrial facilities will be presented on the case of a thermal
power plant. Representative of the Institute of Hydrotechnic from
Bosnia and Herzegovina will describe possible sea pollution
caused by the activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Finally, LBS
Protocol and Strategic Action Plan for the reduction of pollution
from land based activities will be presented by the
representative of UNEP MAP.
4. MONITORING OF SEA WATER QUALITY AND
INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT
The Inspection Division of the Ministry of
Environmental Protection and Physical Planning will give a survey
of the largest accidents in recent years and the review of
hotspots (with special emphasis on industrial ones). This will
give a picture of the threats on environment and the priorities
to be set. The Croatian counties started the process of
integrated coastal zone management in the last years; such a
program for Zadarsko-kninska County will be elaborated.
Representatives of PAP/RAC will share the Mediterranean
experience, describing the techniques and approaches applied in
order to achieve sustainable coastal zone management and
suggesting the ones that are applicable for Croatia. We will hear
the Montenegrin experience in the field of integrated management
of one wetland close to the Montenegrin coastline. Monitoring
system of industrial facilities will be shown on the example of
the monitoring system of thermal power plant.
5. MARICULTURE
Mariculture is growing rapidly in the last
few years. The issue has caused a lot of controversy in Croatia.
The fact is that mariculture contributes substantially to
Croatian economy but it is hard to harmonise it with other
growing sectors like tourism, and at the same time to secure
preservation of sea quality and biodiversity. The Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry will give their view as a competent
authority for mariculture and fisheries. A company dealing with
the monitoring of mariculture cages will present its results and
suggest possible measures for reducing the impact on environment.
Another mariculture company will share certain problems they are
faced with. The Ministry’s Section for Environmental Impact
Assessment will review the results of the studies made in the
process of environmental impact assessment for mariculture.
6. BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Preservation of biological diversity in
Adriatic is the common goal of all environmental management
policies and therefore special attention will be put on that
subject. The system of classification and mapping of the marine
habitats will be elaborated. The work on environmental research
with an aim to establish a network of protected areas will be
described. The threats on biological diversity will be presented
and the measures that ought to be taken proposed. Critical
fishing area and the cooperative approach for the fishery
management options on the example of one pit will be shown and
described. Representative of the Ministry for International
Cooperation in Environment and Development of Monaco will present
project MEDWET and RAMOGE agreement.
The final part of the Symposium is devoted
to the discussion on the proposed Adriatic Action Plan.